How to Make a Burns Night Supper
On 25th January each year, people from all walks of life get together to commemorate the work of famous poet Robert Burns and his contribution to Scottish culture.
Without a doubt, one of the most important parts of the evening is the supper and with that in mind, here are some recipes to help you create your very own Burns Night feast…
Cullen Skink
Perfect as a starter, Cullen Skink is a classic Scottish smoked fish soup with leeks and potato – an ideal winter warmer! Serves four, total prep and cooking time one hour.
Ingredients:
For the Stock…
- 2 leeks, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 fennel bulbs, roughly chopped
- 250ml white wine
- 500g smoked haddock
- 750ml water
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 75g butter
For the Soup…
- 2 leeks, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
- 500ml double cream
- 300g potatoes, peeled, chopped
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 75g butter
How to Make…
- To make the stock, heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large pan and slowly fry the leeks onions and fennel until softened.
- Add the white wine to the pan and bring to the boil before adding the smoked haddock. Pour in water and bring to the boil once again, then reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes until the haddock is cooked through.
- Strain the haddock and keep the liquid aside for stock. Chop the haddock into even, bite-sized pieces.
- For the soup, heat the vegetable oil with butter and fry the garlic, leek and shallots for around four minutes. Add the chopped smoked haddock and potatoes to the pan.
- Add the cooking stock and bring to the boil before reducing heat and simmering for 10 -15 minutes. Stir in cream and quickly blend with a stick blender.
- Serve with bread, season with chopped parsley and grated nutmeg and enjoy!
Haggis, Clapshot and Whiskey Sauce
This main course is a Burns Night staple and is filled with a whole host of hearty flavours. Serves four, total prep and cooking time two hours.
Ingredients:
- 500g haggis (the main event!)
For the Clapshot (Neeps and Tatties)…
- 500g swede, peeled, chopped
- 500g Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, peeled, chopped
- Sea salt and ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- 50g butter
- 75ml double cream
For the Whisky Sauce…
- 500ml double cream
- 2 tsp whisky
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp. wholegrain mustard
How to Make…
- Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Wrap the haggis up securely in aluminium foil and place on a baking tray. Place in the oven for between 45 minutes and 1 hour to ensure it’s cooked through.
- While the haggis is cooking, begin the Clapshot by boiling the potatoes and swede in separate saucepans of salted water until tender. Drain well, then add the potatoes to the swede and mash thoroughly. Add butter and cream to the mix and mash again until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and then stir in a spoonful of chives. Set aside and keep warm.
- To make the whisky sauce, heat the double cream in a pan over a medium heat. Add the wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard and whisky and stir together. Increase the heat so the mixture is simmering and cook for around two minutes.
- To finish the whisky sauce, remove from the pan, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and then mix in a spoonful of chives. Squeeze in some lemon juice.
- To serve, divide the Clapshot evenly among four plates, place a large spoonful or two of haggis alongside each serving, spoon over the whisky sauce and tuck in!
Desserts and Accompaniments
To round off the perfect Burns Night supper, you could try your hand at making a traditional Scottish dessert such as a fruity Clootie dumpling. Check our Food & Drink page for further inspiration.
For more Scotch drinking inspiration, find out what happened when we took part in Whisky Tasting at East London Liquor Company.
